Bratislava, Slovakia—The 400-year period from the Protestant Reformation (1517) to the Russian Revolution (1917) was the topic of a UPF event.
With 2017 being both the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s posting of the 95 Theses and the 100th anniversary of the rise of communism, UPF-Slovakia organized a lecture titled “Reformation and Revolution. The Struggle for Religious Liberation and Social Justice from Luther to Lenin.”
Barbara Grabner, who studied history at Vienna University, presented the lecture, referring to the thoughts of the UPF founder about that period, which represents the culmination of European-Christian civilization.
The event took place on October 5, 2017, in a lecture hall in the city center. UPF publicized the event through leaflets and posters at libraries and Comenius University, mailings and the Internet. The event awakened much interest, and therefore many new guests came in addition to regular guests; the room was filled to capacity.
Mrs. Grabner’s presentation highlighted the three phases of the Reformation and Renaissance as outlined in the books Exposition of the Divine Principle and Justo L. Gonzales’ The Story of Christianity.
The audience listened attentively, though most of them were not familiar with the large uprisings by peasants during the Reformation, the cruel persecution of the Anabaptists, the anti-Christian measures during the French Revolution, the fatal split in the socialist movement during the 19th century, and more.
As 2017 also marks the 100th anniversary of Mary’s revelation at Fatima, Portugal, the guests received an essay about the concealed “third secret” written by Rev. Miroslav Rybar, a graduate of the Unification Theological Seminary.
The meeting was also the occasion for UPF-Slovakia Secretary General Milos Klas to award an Ambassador for Peace certificate to Mr. Stanislav Trnovec, who founded the Club of the Large Families in Slovakia. Mr. Trnovec is a tireless advocate for protecting the sanctity of marriage and true family values. He frequently addresses politicians and religious leaders, and takes part in UPF conferences addressing family issues.